Sen. Mitch McConnell Remains Hospitalized More Than Two Weeks After Unconscious Collapse
The 84-year-old Kentucky senator has been in the hospital for over two weeks following an incident at his Washington home, marking his second admission this year.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the Senate since 2007, has been hospitalized for more than two weeks after he was found unconscious at his Washington, D.C., residence. The 84-year-old lawmaker was taken to a local hospital on Tuesday and has remained under medical care.
McConnell previously spent a week in the hospital earlier this year after experiencing flu-like symptoms; doctors gave him a positive prognosis and he returned to the Senate shortly thereafter. The current stay follows a fall in 2023 that caused a concussion and fractured rib, and another fall in 2024 that left him with leg stiffness. His office has noted that occasional wheelchair use stems from lingering effects of childhood polio.
Neurologists who reviewed video of two earlier incidents in which McConnell appeared to freeze while speaking to reporters concluded that the episodes were more consistent with brief seizures rather than simple lightheadedness, contradicting statements from the senator’s team.
McConnell has served in the Senate for 42 years, a tenure that will end in January when his term expires. In the upcoming midterm election, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., and former Rep. Charles Booker, D-Ky., are competing for the seat that could be vacated if McConnell does not seek re-election.